East Delhi Stinks As Municipal Sanitation Workers go on Indefinite Strike

New Delhi: The indefinite strike by the sanitation workers of the East Delhi Municipal Corporation, which entered its fourth day on Monday, has left the trans-Yamuna region reeling under a garbage crisis, with waste dumped in the open in several areas, from Laxmi Nagar to Patparganj.

Sanitation workers held a protest against the Delhi government at Laxmi Nagar metro station on Monday, causing a traffic jam.

More than 7,000 tonnes of garbage has accumulated across east Delhi, as workers continue to strike over pending salaries. Several other EDMC employees, including doctors and teachers, have also not been paid for months now and have threatened to join the strike from mid-January.

The BJP-ruled east corporation has blamed the Delhi government of withholding funds and not implementing reform policies to make MCDs more financially viable.

Reacting to the crisis, Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari said, “It was bound to happen. EDMC is now divided in three parts and now the people are not getting paid so workers will face problem. Now, Arvind Kejriwal is playing politics over it. The Delhi Chief Minister should release the fund."

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had on Sunday hit out at the BJP-run civic bodies, accusing them of being saddled with "grave corruption", even as the AAP government announced a fresh fund of Rs 119 crore to the EDMC.

In a press conference held at his official residence, the senior AAP leader claimed that "enough funds have been given to the municipal bodies, but one doesn't know where that money is being flushed out."

"The MCD has been telling that Delhi government has not given them funds. So, I am presenting some of the figures in this regard. In 2012-13, Rs 399 crore was given as fund to EDMC, in 2013-14 Rs 416 crore and in 2014-15 it was Rs 441 crore.

"Then our government came, and 2015-16 we released Rs 702 crore under non-plan head, and in 2016-17 so far, we have released Rs 609 crore. Also, till 2015 these funds were released with Rs 60-70 crore of loan adjustment. But, we gave them (EDMC) the funds without such deductions. So, we want to ask, where did that money go," he said.

"Is there a corruption pipeline opened by the civic bodies, if these funds were not used," he alleged.

"Besides, we have, also released a fund of Rs 119 crore to the EDMC under the non-plan head, and it should duly be used for payment of salaries. The fund was released yesterday and it should reach the civic body soon," Sisodia told reporters.

The APP-MCD politics heats up at a time when municipal polls are due this year, and Sisodia said, "People will teach them (BJP-led MCD) lessons in the elections. From three seats (in Delhi Assembly polls) they would be wiped out completely this time."

The AAP leader also took the opportunity to reach out to the sanitation workers, saying, "They were being exploited by the MCD and that they should expose these civic bodies."

Sisodia also said as per the recommendation of the 14th Finance Commission, "the civic bodies should get about Rs 3,552 crore from the Centre.

(With PTI inputs)